A/N: Chuck and Sarah alone is taking longer than I intended, but I promise, the night will end with them alone and there will be some Christmas magic when it happens.

I wasn't happy with Chapter 2, so I hope this chapter makes up for it. Some things are starting to happen now. There will be some initial setup here for my first full length story, which is tentatively titled Chuck Versus the Ghost in the Machine.

Thank you to everyone who has read, added to favorites, added to alerts, and/or reviewed. You make it worthwhile!

Disclaimer: Chalk it up to lousy luck, but no, I don't own Chuck. I don't get cash by the ton, I simply write for fun. NBC, if you don't sue, I'll send a big Thank You!

The Night Santa Went Crazy

Chuck thought about the torture Sarah had put herself through to save him. If not for her, he wouldn't be getting to spend Christmas at home with his loved ones right now. She had fought her way across Thailand to rescue him from The Belgian. She had even become a legend among the locals, earning herself a name that still made Chuck smile at the thought of it.

"Don't giant, blond she-males laugh in the face of danger?"

A sound like a gunshot sent them into near full agent mode. They scanned the room back-to-back, fists at the ready to defend against an attack from any direction. The apartment was still empty except for Devon and Ellie who stared at them like they were crazy from on the sofa.

"Whoa! Blond she-male? Is there something you're not telling us, Bro?"

The broken shards of a glass Christmas tree bulb littered the floor around their feet. Devon looked as if he felt anything but awesome at the moment. Ellie looked as if… To be honest, Chuck didn't really know.

"It's a bad joke; one that has more than run its course," Sarah offered.

Chuck winced as pain erupted in his arm. He could have done without such a hard punch, but he deserved it the way he almost slipped up. His joke had been lost on the, since neither Ellie nor Devon knew about Thailand. As far as they knew, he had been out of town at a comic book convention with Morgan for a few days.

"Trust me, she's all woman." Chuck laughed. "Although, she hits like a giant, blonde she-male." He let out a yelp and looked at Sarah. "Ouch! Really? Did it really have to be in the exact same spot? That really hurt."

Ellie was frowning at them now.

Sarah flashed a smile that was the picture of innocence. "Was it worth it?"

Devon laughed. "Awesome!" It died off as he looked at the glass scattered across the floor. "It's not awesome that I broke that ornament though. I'm sorry about that."

Ellie levelled her gaze straight at Chuck. A familiar instinct to run and seek their Dad's protection hit him. It always amazed Chuck that her big-sister look still had the same effect on him after all these years. She stood and walked over to them. He nearly tried to squirm away from her when she grabbed his arm.

"We'll get you the broom and dustpan," she said, pulling Chuck off with her.

Chuck didn't know if Sarah had recognized Ellie's big-sister look or if she had simply noticed his reaction, but she followed close behind as Ellie led him to toward the kitchen. They all stopped, though, as the front door flew open.

"Oh good, Alex isn't here yet," Morgan gasped as he scanned the apartment and caught his breath before heading down the hall. "Wrapping up paperwork at Buy More took longer than I expected," he explained as he disappeared into his room.

Everyone waited. At the sound of the bedroom door closing, Ellie pulled on Chuck, nearly jerking him off of his feet. She finally released her grasp on him in the kitchen. Seeing Sarah with them, she leaned against the counter and silently stared at the two of them.

Chuck picked up the broom and dustpan and handed them to Sarah. She looked at him, raising an eyebrow at him as she took them. Not even the mighty Sarah Walker could save him from his big sister when she had that look in her eyes. Chuck gave Sarah a little nod. She glanced at Ellie and then back at Chuck, giving him a supportive smile before she going to help Devon clean up.

Satisfied now that they were alone, Ellie turned on Chuck. "What was that in there?"

"A joke? Granted, it was a bad one, but…"

"I'm not talking about that," she said, taking a deep breath. "I'm your sister, Chuck. I've had your entire life to learn how you react to things. Yes," she said with a sigh, holding up a hand as he started to protest, "I know you were a spy and that changed things, but those skills aren't second nature if they're not constantly practiced."

Chuck's heart sank as he watched her gather herself to ask him the one question he did not want her to ask him.

"Chuck, are spying again?"

"That would just be crazy," he said, only managing a half-hearted laugh to lighten the situation.

His heart hadn't sunk after all. It had plummeted. Now it was shattered into a thousand fragments like the glass ornament Sarah and Devon were busy cleaning up. The idea of lying to Ellie killed him, but Devon's words echoed in his mind. I don't want this spy stuff near Ellie ever again. And she doesn't want it near you either.

"I know that laptop Dad left me with the memory problem I solved had to do with spy stuff and I know Devon gave it to you to get it away from me." The words rushed out as tears threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes. She absently rubbed her stomach, staring at her brother. "I promised Dad I would protect you. It's why I made you promise me. I can't protect you if you're spying. And if what was on that laptop made you start spying again, I might as well have told you to go start doing it again myself."

Seconds seemed to stretch into an eternity. Sarah and Devon watched from the living room, the cleanup long since finished but unwilling to interrupt. Chuck knew he could tell the truth and avoid the guilt of lying to his sister. Or, he could lie to her. Turbulent as it may be because of the constant shadow of doubt she would always have, she could at least have a semblance of peace if he lied.

Time sped back up with the ringing of Devon's cell phone.

"I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you." Chuck took her hands in his. "I…"

"That was the hospital," Devon interrupted. "You're not going to believe this, but the Santa at the mall went nuts or something and started running people over with his reindeer and sleigh. They need us in the ER."

If there was one thing Devon was not awesome at, it was lying. He was awesome at being absolutely horrible at it, though. Chuck cringed as Ellie turned and fixed her glare on his soon-to-be-very-hurt brother-in-law.

"At least that bus accident lie you told was believable" Ellie stated, planting her hands on her hips as Devon began to do his own squirming. Just then, her own cell phone buzzed and she pulled it from her pocket. Chuck could swear that her jaw literally dropped as she read the text. "Oh my god, you weren't lying."

Ellie pulled her hands from Chuck's and rushed toward the door. She and Devon reached it at the same time. She turned to look back at Chuck as Devon helped her with her jacket.

"This isn't over," she said as Sarah joined Chuck, the broom and dustpan of ornament pieces in her hands. Ellie smiled at the. "Tomorrow. Christmas dinner. Sorry about Christmas Eve not going as planned. I love you both."

Devon waved as he followed Ellie out the door. "See you two tomorrow. I really am sorry about that ornament, bro. Merry Christmas Eve!"

"Merry Christmas Eve," Chuck and Sarah said as they watched the door close.

Chuck's knees felt like they were about to buckle. He had gained a momentary reprieve from breaking his sister's heart or having to lie to her. He should feel relieved, but he didn't.

He sensed Sarah's closeness even before she pressed against his back and wrapped her arms around him. He couldn't help but smile as she laid her head against his shoulder. She didn't say a word, opting to simply It meant more to Chuck than he could ever convey.

"Hey." Morgan appeared at the hallway, stopping short as he looked around the apartment. "Weren't Ellie and Awesome here when I came in? What did I miss?"

A/N the 2nd: I rewrote this chapter four times, once because Word failed to save my revisions to it. My normal editor didn't have a chance to look this over because I really felt I needed to get it posted. I apologize for any mistakes. Next chapter, The Man with All the Toys, will be coming soon.